Iraq's Mosul bans vehicles after threats to police

MOSUL, Iraq, Oct 27 (Reuters) Insurgent threats against police led to a vehicle ban today in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul where the bodies of 12 people, including four police officers, were found in the past 24 hours, police said.

Mosul, whose population is mostly a mix of ethnic Kurds and Sunni Arabs, has long been a flashpoint of violence, particularly against security forces.

Last week six suicide bombers in vehicles targeted Iraqi and US security forces in the city, a US general said. The attacks, including one involving a fuel truck, killed 20 people in a single day.

Police said insurgents had distributed leaflets in the city yesterday threatening attacks on the police if they did not release several people detained during the past month. Police responded by banning vehicles from the streets.

''By imposing a vehicle ban we're stopping them from moving freely through the city,'' a security source said.

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